Centerfold
by P.T. Tucker
Summary: Zack hasn't been able to concentrate since he found it. Angeal hasn't been able to figure out what the hell is going on with his student. Zangeal (Zack/Angeal) pairing.
1. It Starts

**AN: While this should be obvious from the pairing alone, there is a (canon)** **age difference** **and** **power imbalance** **between Angeal & Zack. So, warning for that I guess?**

 **Also, this fic was originally posted to AO3 if anyone prefers to read there. AO3 has the link to the original prompt if you'd like to see it.**

* * *

Zack put all of his strength behind his swing. Only one monster to go. He just needed to end this mission quickly so he could get out of here and spend the rest of the day hiding from Angeal. Like a coward.

He sighed. Man, this was awful. He could practically feel Angeal's gaze pressing down on his back. On his entire body, actually. Gliding along his skin…

He jerked back to reality as the monster swerved. The force of his swing made him stumble past his target, leaving his back completely exposed with no time to block. Angeal was going to kill him! Zack pivoted on his heel. If he could at least get it on his arm-

The blow came, but it came in the form of a hard shove pushing him out of the way. He toppled forward into a roll before popping back up a few paces away. He twisted around in time to see Angeal finish the Belzecue with a series of punches that were almost too fast for the naked eye.

"Hey! I could have-"

Angeal snapped a scowl towards him, and Zack suddenly found his sword to be very interesting. Was that a new scratch? Damn. This one better not break on him like the last one!

He continued to look it over, making it a point not to notice the disapproval being directed his way. So much for one and done. That was Angeal's "lecturing" stance. He'd be lucky to get out of here sometime in the next hour. Zack tried not to squirm at the thought.

"You lost your focus." Angeal didn't need to add the silent 'again' for Zack to hear it. He hadn't been doing so well these past few days. Not since he'd seen Angeal- seen Angeal-

Zack turned around and pretended to check the area for any hidden monsters they might have missed in an effort to hide the blush he could feel creeping across his cheeks. Would the VR even show him blushing?

Would it show…other things?

He stabbed his sword into the ground in front of him. Better not risk it.

The dirt crunched underneath Angeal's boots as the SOLDIER First drew closer, until the footsteps stopped right behind him. Oh man, this was bad. Zack's body practically sparked from the amount of energy that rushed through him when Angeal placed a hand on his shoulder. He could remember what else that hand had touched. Or, rather, _held_ …Grasped. Fondled. Stroked. Jerk-

"I have to go."

Zack flipped open his phone with one hand and grabbed his sword with the other. He didn't wait for a response before he darted forward. Angeal would only try to stop him.

The simulation ended in a series of cascading pixels, and Zack was out the door before it'd even fully materialized. He swung his sword up onto his back and then used his free hand to toss his VR headset into the group of Thirds who'd been patiently waiting their turn. He ignored the startled glances they gave him. He doubly ignored how he had to look to the rookies as he _fled_ his training session.

Zack was at the end of the hall in literal seconds. (Man, he loved SOLDIER speed.) Distantly, he heard one of the group mutter something about how Commander Hewley must be terrifying.

Zack winced. He'd have to set them straight later. Angeal didn't deserve to have his reputation tarnished just because he couldn't handle the thought of his mentor being too close to him right then. Besides, Genesis already had a claim on the "scary Commander" shtick.

He locked his door behind him when he reached his apartment. And then, in a fit of paranoia, he dragged his bookshelf in front of it. Angeal wasn't likely to enter without his permission, but Zack had just run out of there like a flock of angry chocobos was after him.

He slumped against the shelf. He was such a dick. Angeal was probably worried about him now.

"Way to go, Zack. Really awesome." He banged the back of his head against the bookshelf a couple of times before resigning himself to Angeal's fretting next time he saw him. Followed by a long lecture once he realized Zack was an idiot who didn't deserve any sympathy or concern.

What had he been thinking? You didn't just run out on a commanding officer, even if that officer was Angeal. _Especially_ if that officer was Angeal.

Groaning, Zack pressed his face into his hands. How was he going to explain this?


	2. Puppy Problems

Angeal's pace was slow as he made his way towards Sephiroth's office. That had been…odd. His brows drew together. The reprimand hadn't been overly harsh, and Zack was no stranger to the lecture that had been about to follow. Even the loss itself wasn't a novel experience for his puppy. Zack was skilled, but he had a bad habit of losing focus.

He forced himself to knock on the door labeled simply "Sephiroth," rather than turn back around and check on his student. The confused Thirds had told him they'd seen Zack take off towards the elevators, so at least he wasn't running around Midgar in an emotionally compromised state. He'd likely gone back to his apartment.

"Enter."

Angeal fiddled with his phone for a moment before sliding it back into his pocket. Sometimes it was best to give people some time to calm down. Still… He pulled it back out and shot off a quick text to Kunsel. The Second Class had an uncanny knack for knowing everything about everyone. Sephiroth thought he was dedicated. Genesis thought he was intriguing. Angeal thought he was, frankly, worrying.

"Training ended early," Sephiroth said when Angeal pushed the door open. Silver strands shifted has he tilted his head up to glance at the clock on the wall.

"It didn't."

Sephiroth's eyebrow rose, a habit he'd picked up from Genesis when they'd been younger. "Has something happened to Fair?"

"That's what I'd like to know. Is there anything in his personnel file? Maybe a recent loss or some other incident?"

Sephiroth typed a few lines into the computer he'd been using to do what looked like drill planning. Angeal narrowed his eyes. That was supposed to be _Gen's_ job this week.

"Bet," Sephiroth said, answering his unspoken question.

"And you _lost?_ "

Sephiroth's glower was answer enough.

The room was silent for a few moments while he scanned the screen. He shook his head after a couple of mouse-scrolls. "Nothing in the file." He gave Angeal one of his small, amused smiles. "You know you have access to these documents as well."

"Yes, but then I'd have to come here anyway when I didn't find anything." Angeal returned his grin with one of his own.

"Better safe than sorry?"

"Something like that." Angeal would like to think Zack would have mentioned anything that might have caused his recent drop in performance. Or, at the very least, that such an event would have eventually filtered through the ShinRa grapevine. But it didn't hurt to check.

He pulled out his phone.

 _He_ _'s in his apartment, Sir._

Angeal's fingers hovered over the keypad. Kunsel would know why Zack had run. Or, if not, he'd be able to get it out of him.

He snapped the phone closed. Checking semi-public records was one thing. Manipulating Zack into telling him before he was ready by going through a close friend was another thing entirely. He resisted the urge to sigh as he put the device away. The price of honor could be quite the burden at times.

The door swung open behind him.

" _Even if the morrow is barren of promises,_

 _nothing shall forestall my return._ _"_

" _LOVELESS_ , Act III," Sephiroth shot out immediately.

Angeal received his second raised eyebrow that day.

"You're off early." Genesis strode past him and flopped onto the sofa that Sephiroth kept in the corner almost exclusively for him. The action somehow managed to be both graceful and something a drunken SOLDIER might do after tripping over his own two feet and falling face-first into the furniture, only for mako-enhanced reflexes to save him at the last moment by twisting him onto his back.

…Angeal had seen a lot in his years as the self-appointed sober companion.

Sephiroth held a hand out towards the chair in front of his desk. Angeal shook his head. He preferred to lean against the wall, and he did, after locking the Buster Sword into the nearby weapons rack. Masamune was a strange sight beside it.

"So then, now that we're all comfortable, I believe Angeal has a story to tell us?" Genesis' eyes were bright despite the cool expression he maintained. Angeal's lips twitched. His old friend liked to carry an air of aloofness, peppered with what he considered to be "just enough" temper flares to keep everyone on their toes. It was an old act Angeal had long grown used to.

"Something strange happened today." He could feel the curiosity flare between the other two. "We were using the simulator. Zack was fighting a Belzecue when he lost his focus, and I had to step in." Genesis tsked. "I tried to talk to him about it, but then he bolted."

"He ran away?" Sephiroth's eyes widened. Angeal smothered a grin. He'd have to tell Zack that he'd managed to startle _the_ General Sephiroth.

"Well, to be fair, who _hasn't_ thought about running during one of your lectures? They're legendary, you know." Genesis' tone held a hint of accusation.

"I'm not you," Angeal pointed out.

Genesis may not have been in the habit of lecturing people, but it'd taken three layers of industrial paint to get the scorch marks out of the wall after someone had accidentally spilled water on one of his _many_ copies of _LOVELESS_. Sephiroth had assured him that the SOLDIER did still live…somewhere. He'd run away and was, by all accounts, still running.

"To my knowledge no one has yet to actually skip one." Sephiroth sent Angeal a look to confirm the statement.

Angeal shook his head. The two other Firsts were notorious for attempting to scuttle off before he could find them to start one - they'd particularly enjoyed taking cover in the SOLDIER Third common area until Angeal had discovered their hiding spot - but not even Seph would up and leave while Angeal was standing right there.

"Someone had to be the first. As I see it, Zackary Fair did us all a great favor. Now when we finish our next spar, we'll both run and see which of us he catches."

Sephiroth appeared to be considering the proposal.

"Ha ha," Angeal deadpanned. He wouldn't _need_ to talk to them if they didn't allow their spars to get so out of hand in the first place. Lazard had all but begged him to keep them in line after he'd gotten the last bill for the destroyed equipment.

Genesis smirked at him knowingly, as if he knew exactly what Angeal was thinking.

Angeal pointedly looked towards Sephiroth. "There's more. He's had poor performance for the past few days." Angeal paused. He didn't want to admit it, but there was one possibility that stuck out.

"I think the problem may be me."

" _You?"_ Genesis actually sat up and _stared_ at him.

Sephiroth pursed his lips.

"I can tell when someone's uncomfortable around me." Angeal may not have been the most notorious of the three, but he'd gained enough popularity to sense when people were acutely aware of just who - and what - he was: SOLDIER. Commander. _The_ Angeal Hewley.

It wasn't the same as when they recognized Sephiroth, or even Genesis, but it was there. Even Zack had been flustered around him at first, but his naturally friendly personality had overtaken that awkwardness quickly.

And now it was back, right up to, and including, the side-glances he sent Angeal when he thought he wasn't looking.

"Is there anything in _your_ personnel file?" Sephiroth asked.

"I haven't overtaken any forts recently, or run into a burning building to save an injured trooper." He sent that last part towards Genesis, who proceeded to look exceedingly smug.

The lower ranks had taken up a half-reverent, half-terrified air around the other man after the news had gotten out. Many of them had been shocked that Genesis had even noticed the trooper's existence, let alone kept track of him enough to know he was missing, and now they apparently didn't know if they liked the knowledge that the Crimson Commander was watching them or not.

Genesis had insisted that nobody with eyes could have possibly _not_ noticed the trooper.

"Could he have found something on the…opposite side of the spectrum?" Sephiroth's words were careful, as if he was afraid of offending him.

Angeal stiffened. He hadn't even considered that.

Genesis scoffed. "Angeal? Do something dishonorable? The world would crumble to pieces beneath our very feet."

"We've all had those missions," Angeal reminded him. Of course, the company had quickly learned to foist such dirty work off onto someone with less moral objections, but that didn't mean his record was completely clean. If Zack had found out something like that… His heart ached. What would his student think of him then?

That he was a hypocrite, most likely.

"Yes, and such missions are highly classified. I doubt even the boy's friendliness with the Turks would be able to earn him those secrets. We do know how the company prefers to hide those unfortunate details." Genesis waved a hand in the air. "I'm certain it's nothing to worry over. And knowing the attention span of your puppy, it should pass quickly."

Angeal certainly hoped so.


	3. Revelations

Zack showed up the next day muttering something about having felt ill.

Angeal nodded and pretended to accept the excuse. If Zack was uncomfortable around him, then the last thing he wanted was to make him even more uncomfortable by forcing him to reveal the truth before he was ready. He'd give him another couple of days and then only bring it up if his performance continued to suffer.

Some quiet part of Angeal whispered that he was being a coward: he didn't ask because he didn't want to know.

Genesis had continued to insist that Zack couldn't possibly think less of him, and even Sephiroth had eventually admitted that his question had been more towards covering all of the bases than genuine belief that Zack had found out about Angeal's dark past. (Genesis had then _helpfully_ fallen into a fit of laughter at what Angeal would consider to be a "dark past.")

None of their assurances had helped after the thought had dug its claws into his head.

Gen always had said he worried too much.

"No VR today?" Zack asked, glancing around.

Angeal shook his head. He'd commandeered one of the basic gyms and left the simulation room open for someone who actually needed it. "We'll be training hand-to-hand today."

Zack's head snapped towards him. He stared at him with wide eyes, and Angeal tried not to think about what that look might mean. While Zack was always going to discover the horrors of the company eventually - not even the Firsts could protect him forever - surely no one would have said anything to make him outright frightened of Angeal.

Surely.

…Hopefully.

"I think it's best to stay away from the sharp, pointy objects until you're feeling better," Angeal joked. He forced a smile.

Thank goodness for ShinRa's endless PR stunts. Who'd have thought that being pegged as the company's "friendly" First would actually be useful one day? He could practically hear the media relations expert telling him to "look nice!"

"Yeah." Zack rubbed at the back of his head. He took his time stowing his blade, then took it back _out_ of the rack to ask Angeal if they were going to be working with materia today, and then spent another two minutes putting it away again when Angeal shook his head.

"Stop stalling, Zack."

Zack froze, and Angeal found himself tensing in turn. Then the moment passed and the Second threw a grin over his shoulder. "Sorry. Guess I'm still not feeling well."

Angeal relaxed, but only barely. Apparently they were both pretending today.

"Mmm-hmm." He crossed his arms and waited for Zack to jog back over to him. "Hit me."

"Hit you?" Zack's voice jumped up a notch.

"Or at least try." Angeal grinned. He'd let Zack set the pace for today since he was "sick."

Zack's hair bobbed as he bounced for a moment before jabbing out with his left hand. Unexpected, but Angeal still managed to grab it before it could connect, twisting Zack around so that his arm was pressed against his back. He let him go with a gentle push.

"Good, you're thinking, but thinking's not everything. You want to use strategy when you can, but you also want your body to be able to react without thought." Angeal spun and lashed out with a kick that Zack barely managed to avoid by stumbling back.

"Hey! Where'd you learn to fight like that, huh? Genesis?" Zack complained, though a spark of excitement had lit up his eyes. He was grinning openly now and moving less like he was terrified of every thought that crossed Angeal's mind and more like a bouncy puppy who'd realized someone intended to play a game with him.

Angeal's concern was momentarily soothed. His student was back. At least for now.

"Your opponents aren't going to give you a heads up before attacking." Angeal slowly circled him, forcing Zack to shift in order to keep him in his peripheral vision. "And I learned it from Sephiroth."

"Seph-"

Angeal didn't give him time to finish the thought. He grabbed the back of Zack's head the moment he jerked towards him at the mention of Sephiroth - as he'd known he would - and slammed his face into his knee. Not too hard, of course. He wanted Zack to have a headache, not brain damage.

His student took the opportunity to grab the back of his leg. Zack twisted, and he lost his footing, but not before Angeal swiped his own legs out from under him. They both toppled to the mat, and then rolled around until Angeal finally managed to pin Zack down.

They shared a brief grin and then Zack's vanished so quickly, Angeal actually glanced over his shoulder, half expecting Sephiroth to suddenly be there. Or maybe a Turk. With their gun pointed at them.

Nothing. They were alone.

Zack's grin had been replaced by a blush the color of Gen's coat by the time Angeal turned back towards him. Angeal stared. He hadn't known anyone could get that red.

Zack tried to wiggle out from under him, and it was then that Angeal felt the younger man's cock pressed against his own and realized that their position - Angeal on top of him, pinning Zack's wrists above his head - was, perhaps, not the wisest of decisions. Or the most appropriate.

He jumped to his feet, and then it was his turn to rub at the back of his head as he tried to find the right words to say while Zack stared up at him, clearly mortified. Angeal desperately tried not to notice the slight tent in Zack's pants.

"It's a completely natural reaction-"

Zack threw an arm over his face. A low "Angeaaal" was his only response.

Angeal grimaced. It'd been the first thing that came to mind, but he did have to admit that he sounded like one of those sexual education videos ShinRa forced them to sit through once they received their mako enhancements. And then test on. Repeatedly. The company had a stringent policy against allowing confused, horny teenagers to run amok when they could flip a car by themselves.

Switching to a different tactic, Angeal tried again. "Even Sephiroth's gotten them before. And you don't want to know what I caught Genesis doing after a spar one time." His friends were going to kill him.

The arm lowered, though the flush remained. Angeal gave him an encouraging smile.

"It's not that. I spar with people all the time. It's-" Zack seemed to think better of whatever he'd been about to say, instead pushing himself to his feet. He did an excellent job of looking at everything in the room except Angeal.

Angeal blinked as it all clicked together. _Oh_. "Perhaps we should call it a day. You're ahead in your training at the moment, so it won't hurt anything if we take a little time to…cool off."

Zack ducked his head.

Deciding to test his theory, Angeal stepped closer and placed a hand on Zack's shoulder. Zack practically vibrated under his touch. Angeal moved in even closer as he slid his arm back to wrap around Zack's shoulders. Zack's breathing hitched as Angeal gave him a one-armed hug. "We'll forget this happened, ok?"

Zack only managed to nod.

Angeal released him, and then gave him some distance. Zack remained so impossibly still that Angeal feared for a moment that he'd broken his student. Gaia, he was an asshole.

"So, I'll…see you tomorrow?" Zack asked. The question was unbearably awkward.

Angeal nodded. He left him there in the empty gym, pulling out his PHS the instant he was out the door. He put it away without using it. His first instinct was to call Genesis and ask his old friend what in the world he should do, but that would only result in Genesis crooning on about "puppy love" for hours.

Sephiroth would at least attempt to be helpful, but the man was not what Angeal would consider "socially adept." The last time someone had declared their undying devotion to the Silver General, Seph had merely said "I don't want it" and walked away.

Sometimes it was a real pain being the only "normal" one of the group.

* * *

 **AN: Sorry for the unbelievable cliche this chapter. (You know the one.) *cough*butIlovethattrope*cough* It's Angeal's fault.**


	4. Zack's So Screwed

The bed made a _thunk_ as Zack belly-flopped onto the mattress. He pressed his face into one of the pillows and let out a yell that would have had half the floor running to his rescue if not for the muffling. Just to be sure, he waited for the sound of footsteps, but if any of the other SOLDIERs had heard him, they'd apparently decided to let him wallow in peace. He rolled onto his back.

The magazine was cursed. That was the only explanation. He'd had his fair share of bad luck in the past, but his life had _definitely_ gotten worse after he'd found it. Or, well, since he'd found _the_ picture inside it.

The picture that had managed to make itself at home in his brain and was now refusing to vacate the premises no matter how much he pleaded. The same picture that he saw whenever he looked at Angeal. Or heard Angeal. Or even just thought about Angeal. _Or_ thought about anything remotely related to Angeal.

He gritted his teeth. It sucked!

No matter how much he tried, he couldn't not see it. And once he saw it, he couldn't not think about it. Not when it brought all those other thoughts along with it. Like how Angeal's voice got all low and intense when he wanted Zack to pay extra attention to whatever he was about to say next. And how Angeal watched his every move when he was fighting, never once taking his eyes off him so he was ready to jump in at the first sign of trouble. And how warm Angeal felt when he adjusted his stance or leaned in close to whisper during a mission or relaxed against him during those long hours they were stuck in transport or…

Pinned him to the floor during a spar.

Zack bit his lip. Shit. He was hard again. And after he'd gone to the effort of hiding until his other one had gone away! Of course, he was in his apartment now, and not out in the open where anyone could see the bulge in his pants, and he wasn't planning on going back into the gym to continue training by himself, like he had been earlier when he'd sat on the floor of a dry shower and prayed no one tried to use it. Basically, they were two entirely different situations, right? So…

He unbuckled his belt.

He had his hand wrapped around his cock before he could consider whether or not he _really_ wanted to be jerking off to thoughts of his mentor when he already had trouble looking Angeal in the eye after the _last_ time he'd jerked off to thoughts of his mentor. Zack pressed his lips together as his fingers glided over the tip of his cock.

He'd scold himself later.

Right now, his skin felt flushed and unbearably sensitive, and the cool air only seemed to make him even harder when he pulled his cock out of his pants. As if his body knew what followed that action.

Each stroke wrung a sharp breath out of his lungs as he tried not to make any noise. No one could hear him - the walls weren't _that_ thin - but it always felt so much dirtier when he made noises. He shivered and squeezed and pumped and then sagged as he came all over his stomach.

Zack closed his eyes. This was becoming a habit.

He gave himself a few minutes to relax - and to appreciate how truly screwed he was - before trudging his way into the bathroom. He cleaned himself up with a wet washcloth, and then rinsed the cloth off in the sink. He didn't want anyone to see _that_ in his laundry basket if they came over.

Zack's eyes gravitated towards the space under his bed as he came back into the bedroom, as they had since he'd shoved it under there. He wanted to toss the stupid thing. Maybe burn it, so that no one else could see Angeal so…so…

Fuckable.

He flushed.

If he burned it, he wouldn't be able to look at it anymore. He could remember every single detail, but…

Crouching down, Zack pulled out the plain filebox he'd managed to convince one of the pretty secretaries into giving him for free. Inside, underneath a few pieces of ShinRa paperwork, was the stash of magazines and DVDs he'd acquired over time. Mostly from Kunsel. The Second knew how to get anything!

Anything but what Zack had.

At the very bottom of the stack was _Country Boys Monthly_ , a magazine Zack hadn't even known existed until he'd stumbled across it down in the Sector Four slums. It'd been in what could only be described as a "random junk" store, which was the best kind of store in Zack's opinion. The owner hadn't seemed to realize who was in the magazine, or else it probably would have been advertised in the window of her shop for more gil than Zack made in a year. What the Keepers of Honor would pay for it alone was enough to make him see floating gil signs, let alone some of those creepy execs who got _way_ too close at PR events.

The magazine itself wasn't anything overly special: just a bunch of good-looking men in various stages of undress. Some pages showed multiple men together, while other pages were completely devoid of pictures to make room for the short erotica stories. Nothing too exciting except the two-page spread, placed right in the middle, that showcased the last man Zack had ever expected to see.

Well, maybe Sephiroth was the last man, but Angeal had been a pretty close second.

And it was definitely Angeal, if years younger. The picture showed a cut on the person's left leg, a few inches above the knee. It was the same cut Zack had spotted after they'd shared a locker-room for the first time. Angeal had told him he'd gotten it before he'd joined SOLDIER. He'd heard complaints of monsters outside of town and had gone looking for them. Apparently, he'd found them.

Of course, it'd taken Zack a few minutes to notice the pale scar. He'd been rather focused on…other things.

Opening the magazine, his eyes darted across the picture, taking it all in, before resting in between Angeal's legs. What would it feel like in real life? It was bigger than Zack's and it didn't even look fully erect. He'd watched enough porn to know what sort of things two guys could get up to together and honestly he didn't think it'd fit. Anywhere. Maybe a handjob would work, though. Zack ran a finger along picture-Angeal's cock.

Catching himself, he jerked his hand away and then rubbed it against the side of his pants. As if that would at all help with the fact that he felt like he'd just been caught leering into the girls' bathroom.

Only it was way, way worse than that. He _knew_ Angeal. Zack was probably the last person Angeal would have wanted to see the picture, save for maybe his mom. Yet here he was, ogling him like an asshole. Sometimes he thought fate had it out for him. Or he had really, really bad luck.

Zack snapped the magazine closed and tossed it into the box before shoving the box back under the bed with a kick. He buried his face into his hands. He should have told Angeal the truth earlier.

He cringed.

 _Hey Angeal! I found this old picture of you in a dirty magazine, which you probably don_ _'t think I should be buying in the first place, and you were all naked and horny and it sort of looked like you were waiting for me to come do things to you, if you catch my meaning, or have you do things to me, either way, and instead of telling you about it like an honorable SOLDIER, I decided to hide it from you and obsess over it like one of Sephiroth's crazy stalkers until it completely infiltrated all of my thoughts and basically ruined my life. Also, I've wanked to the thought of your naked body like eight times in the past five days._

Yeeeeep. That conversation would have been _awesome_.

Would still _be_ awesome. Unless he died in some horrific accident before he had to tell him, which was looking better and better all the time.

Maybe he should burn all of Genesis' copies of _LOVELESS_.


	5. Thinking It Over

"So this is where you've been hiding," Genesis said when Angeal opened the door.

Angeal rolled his eyes. He wouldn't exactly consider spending the day in his own apartment "hiding."

"We went to visit you but the gym was occupied by a group of Seconds who told us they'd only seen Fair," Sephiroth supplied.

"Skipping training again? And to think _I_ was the one forced to endure a lecture on work ethic last week." Genesis settled himself in Angeal's favorite chair and picked up the book Angeal had left sitting on the nearby table. He flipped through a few pages before throwing it down with a dramatic sigh.

"Paperwork isn't meant to be used as kindling," Angeal countered. He accepted the chair as a lost cause and took a spot on the sofa instead.

Sephiroth took the chair next to the one Genesis was occupying. It put both of them across from Angeal, with the coffee table in between.

"That's still up for debate," Genesis replied airily.

"It's really not." Angeal prepared to continue the lecture before he noticed the twin looks of amusement being directed at him. He shook his head, smiling. He could be damn predictable at times, couldn't he?

"Considering Fair was seen training without you, I'm going to assume you didn't frighten him off again?" Genesis asked. "He doesn't seem the type to slink back in after running." There was clear disdain written across his face at the mere idea that someone could be so cowardly.

"I ended training early today." He'd have to talk to Zack about continuing without him. Zack deserved some recognition for his dedication, especially after the…predicament he'd been in when Angeal had left.

"Did he make _you_ uncomfortable?" Sephiroth asked. There was a rare teasing in his tone.

Angeal opened his mouth to tell him that the day he allowed something like that to stall his student's progress was the day he should reconsider being a mentor at all, when he realized that there was some shred of truth to the statement. He closed his mouth without saying anything.

The identical looks of shock he received would have been worth a hefty sum if he'd had the thought to capture them on camera before they both disappeared: Genesis' morphing into amusement while Sephiroth's blanked into nothing at all. Damn. Maybe next time.

"We were wrong in thinking Zack might have found something…dishonorable." Thank goodness for that. "And it's not hero worship either-" Angeal paused.

"And here I thought Genesis was the dramatic one," Sephiroth drawled when it became apparent Angeal wasn't going to say anything else.

Genesis waved a lazy hand in the air. "It's effective."

It was. All of that interest in theater didn't go to waste. Genesis could sweet talk his way into a restricted area, turn around and terrify the same person he'd sweet talked into leaving him alone with the classified files, and then come back later and give them an apology so heart-felt that _they_ were the one who felt guilty by the end. Genesis, his oldest and dearest friend, was terrifying. It was enough to drive a man to drink.

Actually, on the topic of drinks…

"Does anyone want anything? Someone from the Keepers of Honor gave me a bottle of Bahamut's Deathwish."

Sephiroth sent him a puzzled "Why?" at the same time Genesis muttered a low "Shiva's tits."

Angeal decided to ignore them both. He bought time by pouring himself a glass - a small glass - while he considered whether or not their advice would be worth Gen's inevitable teasing. The bottle itself certainly wasn't worth it. He was fairly certain the woman had been trying to get him drunk enough to let her into his pants - not very keeping with honor in his opinion - but that wasn't something he was going to tell them. Ever. Genesis was already far too amused by the actions of the middle-aged women who flocked to Angeal.

Turning back towards them, he swallowed half the glass in one go, earning him a low whistle from Genesis.

"The fact that you feel the need to be intoxicated to continue this conversation is worrying." Sephiroth's brows drew together as Angeal handed him his own glass.

Angeal sighed. Now or never. "Zack's attracted to me."

There was silence for a moment and then Genesis started snickering. Angeal sent him a look, which only ended up earning him a small smile from Sephiroth.

"And here I thought it was going to be something awful." Genesis shook his head. "Give me some of that." He held his hand out towards the bottle.

Angeal pointedly poured him a glass instead. Alcohol designed to knock even SOLDIERs on their asses wasn't something he was going to just let him chug. Certainly not after he'd found Genesis in the middle of Lazard's office that one time, naked as the day he'd been born.

Genesis still insisted that it'd been the best lay he'd ever had. Apparently the Director was _kinky_ , and that was far more than Angeal had ever wanted to know about their superior. For his part, Lazard had been far more accommodating towards their requests than usual for several weeks after. Angeal didn't want to think about why.

"Poor Angeal. Whatever shall he do to overcome the terrors of puppy love?" Genesis teased. Angeal was half-tempted to keep Gen's glass for himself just for that, but the drink would give Genesis something to occupy his mouth.

"It's inappropriate. I'm his commanding officer."

"Surely we've all felt that way towards someone of higher rank at one point or another?" Sephiroth took a strategic sip then, preventing him from having to answer their unspoken question. There weren't many people in the company higher than Seph, unless he meant when he was younger.

The answer would have to wait. Zack was a more pressing matter, even if Angeal wanted to bribe the truth out of Sephiroth with promises of homemade chocolate cake.

"Crushes do happen," Genesis agreed, though the look he sent Sephiroth said this wasn't over. "I'd hardly consider it worthy of a 'dreams, honor, pride' lecture. Let the poor boy enjoy his painful and awkward step into adulthood like the rest of us."

Except Zack _was_ an adult, and had been for some time. Years younger than Angeal, but completely legal, and that just made it worse.

"It's not Zack I'm worried about." Angeal forced himself to endure the scrutiny the words brought him. "I've been thinking about it all day and…" He gave them a rueful smile and took another gulp of his liquor.

He'd never done more than note that Zack was a good-looking young man. It'd been no different than the general appraisal he gave everyone, and it'd slipped to the back of his mind as something he knew but didn't really think about. It hadn't been until he'd felt Zack's erection pressed against him that he'd even considered going beyond that basic thought. And once he'd gone beyond, he hadn't been able to return to base level.

Zack Fair was gorgeous by anyone's standards and clearly enthusiastic about the idea. And also clearly _not_ in Angeal's league, in more ways than one.

"There is no official policy against it," Sephiroth said slowly, as if shifting through every facet of the situation one by one. "And he is of legal age."

"I'm his commanding officer," Angeal repeated. Hopefully he didn't need to add that, as Zack's mentor, things had the possibility of getting complicated quickly even without the problem of rank.

"I'm your commanding officer."

"I'm not sleeping with you."

"It is my understanding that the issue stems from worries of favoritism, preference in emergency situations, disfavor should the relationship end poorly, and the like. All of these issues apply to our friendship as well."

"That's only on the ShinRa side of things," Angeal pointed out. No surprise that Sephiroth wouldn't see the potential for trouble in the home when his home _was_ ShinRa.

"Genesis' dalliance with Lazard proved beneficial to all parties," Sephiroth said, apparently unwilling to debate when it came to the other matter.

"That's not the same."

"You've been in here all day, thinking about this." They both paused as Genesis finally came back into the conversation.

"You've obviously made up your mind." Genesis' voice was low but it screamed _listen_ , and they did. "Every aspect of the situation has been considered from every angle so that no matter our answer, you have a response, and then another response should we press the issue. Why then, are we even discussing the matter?"

"You confirm that you've made the correct choice by defeating our attempts to talk you into it," Sephiroth said, catching on.

" _My friend, your desire_

 _Is the bringer of life, the gift of the goddess._ _"_

Genesis' lips curled into a sly grin. "You don't just want to sleep with him."

Angeal didn't deny it.

Sephiroth stared into his glass with an intensity that might have lit it on fire if he'd had Genesis' penchant for pyromania. "Does he specifically require you as his mentor? Would another SOLDIER First do?"

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt him." A different mentor might actually help expand his knowledge of different fighting styles. "But I'm not going to alter his entire training regimen just for the chance to get into his pants." And the thought of Zack training with someone else made his heart clench.

"Then don't. We'll leave that as a potential 'escape route' should things turn sour. Until then, I don't see why you can't pursue him."

"Or allow him to pursue _you_ ," Genesis added before Angeal could protest.

Angeal protested anyway. "There's other things to consider-"

"-and we'll consider them together," Genesis interrupted, "We are the renowned leaders of SOLDIER, are we not? I'm certain we can figure out _something_ that will satisfy everyone."

Angeal looked into his glass.

It would be nice to try.


	6. Sound Advice

Zack was back on his bed, considering whether it would be worth the extra bit of rage to steal the copy of _LOVELESS_ Genesis always kept on his person or if the ones in his room and office would suffice, when someone knocked on his door.

Zack glanced in the general direction of the sound. Not that there was anything to see, even with his bedroom door open. Habit. A second knock came, and he turned his gaze back towards the ceiling.

No way was he getting that. He'd already come to terms with his impending demise, and he didn't need anyone - especially not Angeal - talking him out of it. It wasn't exactly the most honorable death, or the most heroic, but it would be his, and it would prevent him from _ever_ having to tell Angeal about the magazine.

Or anything else.

"I know you're in there, Zack."

Zack sighed and rolled off the bed and onto his feet.

Opening the apartment door, he smiled at the other SOLDIER. "Hi, Kunsel."

"Hi yourself." Kunsel brushed past him and made his way towards Zack's sofa. "Any particular reason you're hiding in here instead of leading a cute blond around the Midgar shopping district?"

"Oh crap! I totally forgot!" Zack dug into his pocket and pulled out his PHS. Crap, crap, crap. Poor Cloud. Knowing how sensitive the other guy was, he'd probably take it personally. He'd have to make it up to him somehow. Which would delay his plan for death-by-Genesis. Damn. But he couldn't leave Cloud hanging like that.

And besides, he should probably impart some kind of farewell wisdom, shouldn't he? People did that in the movies all the time. Maybe he'd give him his sword. That'd be cool.

"It's fine. I explained that you haven't been feeling well."

"Thanks."

"He's worried about you. So am I."

Zack just knew there was a pointed look being directed at him from behind that helmet. He made a show of checking his messages on his PHS and didn't answer. Oh! Treasure Princess! Maybe he could insist that he had to go help her _right this minute_ and creep out-

"Commander Hewley asked me to verify your location the other day." Kunsel didn't bother to hide the question in his tone. "And Rin swears he saw you run away from practice. Of course, knowing you, you were excited to go see your flower girl or something, so I'm not certain how much stock I can put into his account."

Zack sighed. He plopped down directly in front of Kunsel on the floor. Kunsel may have shifted into teasing, but that didn't mean he was off the hook. He'd pester him until he got his answers, and, failing that, he'd snoop around until he found them. The last thing Zack needed was Kunsel snooping.

It'd also, maybe, be kind of nice to actually talk to someone about this. Crossing his legs, he dropped his head into his hands and stared down at the carpet. Where would he even start?

"That bad, huh?"

"Yeah." He took a deep breath and asked, "You ever see something that makes you think of something and once you think of that something it's like 'Why didn't I ever think of that before!' and now you can't un-think that something no matter how hard you try? And that's if you really even _want_ to un-think it, which you're starting to wonder maybe you don't, except that the something you're thinking of can never happen, so you should probably forget it as quickly as possible, except you _can't_ and it just messes everything up?"

Kunsel didn't say anything for a long moment. "…Maybe."

"Sorry. I'm not making any sense." He sounded downright ridiculous, actually.

"No, you are. I think. Considering what I've pieced together from you and the Commander-" and his many unseen sources "-the something involves Commander Hewley?"

Zack shifted to rest his cheek on his left hand as he looked up at the other SOLDIER. "Yeah."

"You saw something that makes you not want to train with him." Kunsel's voice had taken on a distant quality, as if he wasn't quite all there while he sifted through the information.

"That's not true!" There wasn't anything more that he could possibly want than to train with Angeal. Or just be around him. That was the problem, wasn't it?

"You ran out on him yesterday and then today you were seen training by yourself."

"He left me this morning," Zack muttered, not really wanting to get into that. It'd been so _embarrassing!_

"You're blushing."

Zack reached up to touch his cheek. Damn. He did feel warm.

It only made him blush even more. He didn't need to see the red to know that it'd no doubt traveled across the rest of his face and neck until he looked like one of those sunburnt tourists he'd seen all over Costa del Sol. Thank goodness mako protected him from actually getting a sunburn since those things sucked.

"Now I'm worried. I can't say there's many things I can think of that could make you blush like Cloud whenever he catches sight of the General."

Zack winced. Damn if that wasn't an accurate description. In fact, if given the choice, he'd have preferred to talk to Cloud about this whole thing instead. Kunsel was his friend, sure, but at least Cloud understood what it was like to crush on someone _way_ out of your league. Another reason to regret missing their shopping "date."

"Promise you won't tell anyone?"

"Suuuuuper worried." Kunsel sounded like he was having way too much fun with this. Zack glared at him. It was half-hearted at best.

"I, sort of, got…hard…while sparring with Angeal."

"Well that's embarrassing."

"Tell me about it!" Zack whined. He chose to ignore the blatant amusement in the other's tone.

"That's why you ran away?"

"No, that was today." Zack could still feel the warmth raging across his skin. "Yesterday I kind of freaked out when he got too close. I've been thinking about him a lot lately." The last sentence came out as a whisper.

"After you saw something that made you think of him?"

"Yeah."

"Did you walk in on him in one of the supply closets?" Kunsel didn't completely sound like he was joking.

The supply closets were notorious around SOLDIER, and even a few Turks had been caught in one or two, for whatever reason they'd been on the SOLDIER floor. Rumors were that someone had even seen Sephiroth wander out of one, but knowing the General, he'd probably been the only one of the whole lot of them who'd actually needed supplies.

"Something like that."

"Wow, I wasn't actually expecting you to say yes."

"I said _something like that._ That's not what happened."

"I see." Kunsel paused but Zack didn't elaborate. Wouldn't elaborate. Not when it came to this.

"So," Kunsel continued after a minute, "you saw something that made you think of him in that way and now you can't stop? Hate to tell you this, but I don't think there's much you can do about it. You've seen how new Thirds act around Sephiroth. It's something you just have to get over."

"If only it were that easy," Zack muttered. "I wish it _was_ Sephiroth. Or Genesis. At least then it'd be totally physical I don't really know them all that well. But Angeal's different, you know?"

"I see," Kunsel said again, and this time he made it sound like he really did see.

Zack tried not to fidget as the unspoken truth settled between them. It was a stupid magazine. A stupid _porno_ magazine. It wasn't supposed to do this to him! To make him…realize things.

"Why don't you tell him?"

"Yeah, right. That's _exactly_ what I want to do. Besides, I think it's pretty obvious already." And he still hadn't told Angeal about the magazine. That had to come first, even if he wanted to talk about other stuff. Which he _didn't._

"Is it? The Commander might know you have a crush on him, but I doubt he knows the rest. And we both know he'll never bring it up. So if you want to try, you have to be the one to start."

"Try?" With Angeal? "He'd never go for it."

Kunsel shrugged. "It's worth a shot."

"I'll think about it," Zack said, just to shut the line of conversation down. This was all way too much, way too fast. He hadn't meant for any of this when he'd bought that stupid cursed magazine.

"Sure you will." Kunsel clearly didn't buy his BS. He stood and held out a hand, pulling Zack to his feet when he took it. "Well then, now that I know why you're wallowing here in the dark, I think I can safely leave you to wallow some more."

"Thanks." The word couldn't have come out drier if he'd tried.

He glanced around the room. It was a little dark in here, wasn't it? He hadn't even noticed. Mako eyes did that.

"Do me a favor and call our favorite blond ball of anxiousness, ok? See what he thinks."

Zack nodded, but the motion had no real meaning behind it. He was therefore surprised when he found himself dialing Cloud's number after Kunsel had left.

"Zack? Are you ok? Kunsel said you didn't feel well."

A smile pressed up the corners of his mouth. His little chocobo was so adorable when he worried. He should introduce him to Aerith. Then they could be adorable little worriers together.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's actually why I called. I need your opinion on something."


	7. Confessions

"I do believe I saw our dear General stumble there." Genesis had on a smirk so satisfied that it would have had a Gold Saucer jackpot winner reconsidering their good fortune.

Sephiroth scowled down at his legs as if it was all their fault before blanking his expression and acting as if nothing had happened at all.

"You did stumble a little," Angeal conceded. Far be it from him to take sides in their ridiculous rivalry in any fashion, but Sephiroth had almost tripped over the coffee table on his way back from the bathroom.

Which was impressive, considering the coffee table was two feet further than Sephiroth had needed to go to get back to his chair. A chair which he was not even sitting in, instead choosing to stand by it as if to prove he could.

"See?" Genesis all but crooned. He draped his arm around Sephiroth's shoulders. "Angeal agrees."

"Angeal's been drinking. I can't consider his report of the events to be accurate."

Angeal snorted. "I haven't drunk nearly as much as you."

Genesis had taken it upon himself to test the "quality of the Bahamut's Deathwish." Mainly by plying Sephiroth with more and more alcohol until even the Silver General couldn't help but flush and sway. Genesis, for his part, had remained stubbornly sober. Not even Sephiroth's thinly veiled taunts had gotten him to pick up his glass after those initial sips. The idea of seeing Seph completely shitfaced was apparently enough of a motivator to smooth down whatever feathers Sephiroth managed to ruffle in the process.

Angeal shook his head as Genesis offered Sephiroth another glass.

"Don't look so stern, old friend. This is _hardly_ the worst we've done together."

"What worries me is when we're not together," Angeal said dryly. Genesis only gave him a grin in return.

He could feel his own smile creeping along the edges of his lips as Genesis "accidentally" bumped his hip against Sephiroth's, causing the other man to tilt dangerously towards the chair. Angeal had to remind himself that he didn't approve of people getting drunk, and he definitely didn't approve of people getting _others_ drunk. The reminder did little in the face of the fact that it was Genesis and Sephiroth.

Their rivalry might be legendary, but Genesis would never _do_ anything to Sephiroth. Nothing more than a few embarrassing photographs, anyway, and maybe not even that. His friend would relish being one of only two people to have seen Sephiroth fall over his own feet.

If anything, he was bound to be more protective, considering how he fretted over him like a distraught mother who'd just been reunited with her kidnapped child whenever Sephiroth came stumbling out of the labs. Angeal pointedly ignored the steadying hand Genesis had placed on Sephiroth's elbow.

"Do you want to sleep with me?" Sephiroth asked as Genesis handed him yet another drink. He narrowed his eyes at the liquid, as if it would tell him what Genesis' end game was.

Angeal's laughter rang out in the suddenly quiet room. Genesis gaped at the other SOLDIER.

"What in the _world_ made you think that?"

"You have a habit of sleeping with people when drinking is involved."

"That is when _I_ drink. I assure you, if I wanted to sleep with you, you'd have known long before you had the pleasure of tripping over Angeal's furniture."

Sephiroth shrugged and downed the glass in one go. Angeal shook his head again. Only he could chug the "SOLDIER killer" - as the rookie Thirds liked to call it - as if it were no more than common beer. Gaia, the man probably burned more alcohol than he absorbed with all the mako in him. Mako and whatever else Hojo had thrown in during his mad scientist creation process.

Still, that didn't stop him from jerking back and then almost toppling onto the floor when someone knocked at the door. Luckily Genesis was there to catch him, something which the other First looked all too smug about.

"Gen." Angeal nodded towards the chair.

Genesis steered Sephiroth into it without comment. _They_ were the only ones allowed to see him so vulnerable. ShinRa would probably ban them from buying alcohol if it got out that their prized poster boy had got himself too drunk to stand properly. And Angeal wasn't about to ask _Zack_ to sneak them booze.

Speaking of his student…

"Zack. You're up late. Something the matter?" Angeal ran his eyes over the other SOLDIER, but nothing appeared out of place. That is if you didn't count the obvious way he was hiding his hands behind his back or the way he stared down at the floor as if he were hoping it might suddenly attack him and put an end to this unexpected visit.

"Can I come in? I-" Zack rubbed at the back of his neck. Angeal noted that whatever he was carrying was small enough to fit into one hand. "I have something I need to tell you." Zack sighed and then wilted, his shoulders slumping. "You're probably gonna lecture me."

Angeal's eyebrows rose. Zack had never been dishonest with him, but he'd also never specifically asked for a punishment before Angeal even knew what he'd done wrong. He glanced back and found Genesis and Sephiroth both back in their chairs, doing an admirable job of looking as if they weren't listening to every word of the conversation.

"Sure." Angeal stepped out of the way. "But I have guests. Are you sure it isn't something that can wait until tomorrow?" Zack clearly felt like he couldn't if he was willing to come to his apartment in the middle of the night, but it was best to double-check before he kicked the other two out.

Zack caught sight of the two and he let out a noise that sounded suspiciously like the death-moan of a monster after you stabbed them. He took a hesitant step back and for a moment Angeal thought he was going to bolt again. His wide eyes certainly made him look like a terrified chocobo ready to run from predator.

"Don't stand there," Genesis snapped, "Either show us what you're hiding or leave."

"Gen." Angeal shook his head at him.

The words seemed to break Zack out of whatever horror he'd found himself in, and he blurted, "I can't show it to you!"

Of course, because it was Zack, and because Zack sometimes had more emotion than common sense, he'd flung his arms out as he'd shouted. Angeal really should try to break him of that habit.

"What's _Country Boys Monthly_?" Sephiroth asked.

Zack snapped his hands back behind his body, but the truth had already been revealed. The action didn't stop Angeal from flushing, and it certainly didn't stop Genesis from swooping over and wrestling the magazine out of Zack's grasp.

"Where did you find this? I thought ShinRa had destroyed them all!" Genesis looked absolutely delighted as he flipped through the pages. Angeal sighed when he stopped in the middle.

"You…" Zack's gaze darted between them. "You've seen it?"

"Naturally," Genesis drawled, as if it should be _obvious_ , "Who do you think got him to agree to it?" Zack apparently didn't know how to respond to that. "Of course, once ShinRa realized their famed SOLDIERs were in _compromising_ positions, they saw to it that all copies were bought and destroyed. Well, almost all copies." He waved the magazine. "Luckily, it was several years old by that time and a few of them managed to escape."

"SOLDIERs, plural. You were in it too?" Sephiroth stood. Angeal snatched the magazine from Genesis before he could see it. They may have shared a locker room together, and even the occasional tent when ShinRa was feeling stingy about the SOLDIER supplies, but that didn't mean he wanted one of his closest friends seeing him like he was auditioning to be the next big star of the Honeybee Inn.

Sephiroth frowned. "Fair has seen it." He sounded oddly put out.

"Genesis is in a different magazine. Ask to see _his_ copy." Angeal had no doubt that Genesis had multiple.

Genesis shrugged when Sephiroth sent him a questioning glance. The other man had never been modest.

"But _why?_ " Zack's eyes were back to the size of 'terrified chocobo.' "Was it a bet?"

"A bet?" Angeal turned towards his _dearest_ friends and crossed his arms. If they'd been involving Zack in their ridiculous antics…

Sephiroth's face blanked, which was annoying enough on any day, considering he could keep it up seemingly indefinitely, but then Genesis topped that by actually pulling out _LOVELESS_ and proceeding to _read_.

Angeal scowled at them. It was one thing if they wanted to get themselves shot - as Tseng had not-so-subtly hinted at when he'd sent him a falsely polite email asking him to inform the other two SOLDIERs that while seeing how his fellow Turks handled an unexpected Firaga was useful information, the Turks did have their own training capabilities - but Zack couldn't yet dodge that many bullets.

"Uh…" Zack's gaze darted between the three of them.

" _My friend, the fates are cruel_

 _There are no dreams, no honor remains_

 _The arrow has left the bow of the goddess"_

Genesis snapped his book closed.

That was as good as a confession as Angeal would probably ever get. Angeal resisted the urge to rub at his temples. He'd have to talk to Zack about listening to anything these two overgrown children said.

"We weren't yet SOLDIERs and the pay was good," Genesis answered, apparently trying to move the conversation back to the topic at hand. The topic of Angeal being naked in an adult magazine that _Zack_ had somehow managed to find. Gaia, what a mess.

"Angeal said you were rich."

Genesis merely grinned in response.

Angeal sighed. He was not about to explain exhibitionism to his student. "Ok you two, I think it's time you both left. Genesis, take Sephiroth."

"Of course," Genesis purred, wrapping an arm around Sephiroth's waist.

Sephiroth glanced down at the appendage. "I've already burned off most of the alcohol."

"Then we'll just have to take this with us." Genesis snatched the bottle from the counter before returning to drag Sephiroth out the door.

"I didn't know the General could get drunk."

"Everyone can get drunk. You just have to have the right drink." It would be a good thing for Zack to remember.

"Ah. Gotcha." Zack grinned up at him.

Angeal gave him a soft smile in return.

They both seemed to realize how quiet the apartment was at the same time. Angeal tensed while Zack's grin slowly slid off his face.

"So…" Zack's gaze moved to rest on the coffee table: his discomfort apparently back in full force now that the excitement was over.

"Thank you for bringing this to me," Angeal said, his voice taking on the soothing cadence he usually reserved for terrified rookies who got more than they'd expected their first real battle, "I realize it's not exactly the type of thing you want to bring up during training."

"Definitely not."

Angeal flipped open the magazine. Had he really posed so…wantonly? "If I'd known this was going to upset my future students-"

"I'm not upset! I like the picture! You wouldn't believe how many times I- uh…I mean…" Zack trailed off awkwardly. A flush raced across his cheeks.

Angeal pressed a hand to his lips to stop himself from laughing. It didn't seem to help, and he let out a completely unconvincing cough instead.

"Don't you laugh at me too!" Zack whined good-naturedly. The flush darkened despite the attempt at playfulness.

"Too?" Angeal tried not to think about the many other things that could turn skin the color of summon materia. He was doomed to feel warm himself if he allowed his brain to get caught up in the thoughts of one reason in particular.

Zack was quiet for a moment and then a change came over him as he apparently decided on something. He stood up straighter and placed his hands on his hips. "I spoke to some friends about the situation."

Angeal grimaced. Who else had seen the folly of his youth?

"Not about the magazine!" Zack waved his hands frantically. "About me. And you. Us, I guess." Zack rubbed the back of his neck. "If-If you wanted there to be an us. At all. Or not at all! We don't have to." Zack was back to waving his hands. "I just thought if you _wanted_ to- Which you probably don't since I didn't tell you about the magazine like I should have and we're not even the same rank or age and I'm probably just not your type, and even if I was your type, you probably already lo- like someone else, and I totally understand all of that! No problem at all! It's just that Kunsel said if I wanted to try I'd have to tell you how I felt and Cloud agreed and-and-" Zack didn't look like he knew what else to say as he ran out of steam and came to a stuttering halt in the middle of the tracks. "I-"

Angeal placed a hand on his shoulder. Zack's Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed, and Angeal found himself swallowing in turn. He gave himself a moment to run through Zack's words before replying. It sounded like…

Some of the weight lifted from his shoulders. It sounded like maybe he wasn't the only one here with more than just a "crush." He recalled his thoughts from earlier. _It would be nice to try._

"Funny," Angeal said slowly, trying to gauge Zack's reaction to every word, "I talked to my friends as well." He felt Zack tense under his fingers.

"Yeah?"

He took a steadying breath. "I probably shouldn't be saying this, but you're not the only one in this room who's interested. And no, I'm not talking about admiring myself," Angeal joked as he held up the magazine.

It took Zack all of three seconds to process the words and then Angeal's hand was sliding off his shoulder as the younger man leapt into his arms. Angeal caught him easily enough. He was well-versed in Zack's antics.

"Are you for real!"

"Yes, but it's not something we can just jump into." Angeal set him back on the ground. Zack rolled his eyes at the pun. "There are certain things we need to discuss first." So many things.

Zack wilted. "Yeah, you're right. I got a little too excited there."

Angeal winced at the disappointment in his voice. He'd ruined the moment. What a great way to start a relationship.

He considered Zack for a moment before reaching out hesitantly. Zack ducked his head when Angeal ran his fingers through his hair but his eyes came back up when Angeal's hand drifted down to his neck. Angeal put the slightest pressure behind it – enough that Zack could pretend not to have noticed if he wanted.

They were both blushing when they kissed.

It didn't last long, and it was hardly what Genesis would have considered a "proper" kiss, but it was good enough. _More_ than good enough.

"How about we just relax for now?" Angeal asked softly. He indicated the sofa with the hand not occupied with Zack.

Zack pulled away, and immediately Angeal wished he'd wrapped his arms around him instead. Zack plopped himself onto the sofa and almost immediately began bouncing his leg. Angeal shook his head, amused. So much energy.

Zack was going to kill him in bed. And in everything else.

Sitting down next to him, Angeal held up the magazine. "Now then, why don't you tell me where you got this?"

* * *

 **AN: What'd you guys think? I'd love to hear your opinions! Constructive criticism is ok. :)**


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